So here we are, one year after I took delivery of a 2014 Accord EX-L V6 six-speed coupe, eleven months after the first update, and five months after hitting the 12k mark. As fate would have it, at the same time the crew at Automobile was enjoying a free year in a car almost exactly like mine, courtesy of Honda. This, incidentally, is where the true nature of the autojourno biz comes into play: I laid out slightly over $9,300 in monthly payments, insurance, and maintenance to do exactly what the Automobile crowd did for free.Well, not exactly; I also took mine to a racetrack. A few times.Nominally speaking, the purpose of my March trip to Putnam Park was so I could drive a Lingenfelter-tuned Corvette ZR1 for R&T and coach Josh Condon, the magazine’s bald but brilliant front-of-book-editor, into a measure of competence driving said 750-horsepower creature in temperatures that never cracked the high side of forty degrees Fahrenheit. Since I’d traveled there in my new … [Read more...] about One Year And 18,766 Miles Of Being Couped Up
Coupe
Every Rear-wheel-drive Coupe Concept from GM is Vaporware
Guess what, enthusiasts? The automakers are lying to you. See that red tire? It may as well be a giant red X written across your hopes and dreams of a small, nimble, rear-wheel drive coupe.The Opel GT Concept is just that — a concept. And it isn’t the first time GM has pulled this trick this year. Actually, if you look back over the past few years of General Motors rear-wheel drive, two-door concepts, only the Camaro and Cadillacs have come to fruition.First up, the Opel GT, which has a heritage reaching back to 1968. Initially a coupe, the GT then spawned a Roadster model in 2007. In North America, that model was called the Saturn Sky.Now we have this, the Opel GT Concept, which Opel themselves has said will debut in Geneva before failing to arrive at any dealership in Europe. It’s straight up fantasy.Earlier this year, at the North American International Auto Show, Buick tempted us with the Alpha-based Avista concept. It’s also destined to be a flight of … [Read more...] about Every Rear-wheel-drive Coupe Concept from GM is Vaporware
Geneva 2015: Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE Concept Unveiled
Not every vehicle at the 2015 Geneva Auto Show can be featured in the Robb Report, though the Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE Concept might be as such if made.The Sport Coupe GTE’s power comes from a 3-liter turbo-six and two electric motors delivering a collective 374 horsepower to all corners. The turbo-six feeds its power to the front via a six-speed dual-clutch auto, while the electric motors directly distribute their power to the back. Nil to 62 arrives in 5 seconds, while all-electric mode delivers a range of 32 miles, and the system combined can hit 118 mpg.Other features include driver biometrics — allowing the car to pick a route based on how much excitement the driver desires — route data featuring weather and traffic info, as well as previews of a given route with Instagram, parented ambient lighting, and touchscreen controls for the rear occupants to handle music, climate and phone calls.Were the MQB-based concept to hit the production line, Volkswagen says it … [Read more...] about Geneva 2015: Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE Concept Unveiled
Junkyard Find: 1989 Pontiac Grand Prix Coupe, with Rare Manual Transmission Option
While it was possible to buy a new W-body late-1980s/early-1990s Lumina, Cutlass Supreme, or Grand Prix with a five-speed manual transmission, almost nobody did so. These cars have become pretty rare by now, so the chances of finding a five-speed Grand Prix in the junkyard are about the same as finding a five-speed BMW 7-Series; it’s possible, but not likely.Here’s an ’89 coupe I found in a Denver yard last week.In 1989, the manual transmission was available only in a Grand Prix equipped with the 2.8-liter V-6 engine. If you got the 3.1, your transmission had to be an automatic.This one has those pop-out cassette-tape holders that were so popular in the 1980s.The combination lock on the Grand Prix’s glovebox probably encouraged many a thief to tear the entire dash off the car with a pry bar.The Colorado sun has been rough on this car’s upholstery.From air dam to tailpipe, the ’89 Grand Prix is guaranteed to excite! Note the woman using her futuristic … [Read more...] about Junkyard Find: 1989 Pontiac Grand Prix Coupe, with Rare Manual Transmission Option
2017 Honda Civic Si Coupe Revealed – 1.5T Upgraded For Si Duty, Coupe And Sedan Bodystyles
We’re far removed from the 91-horsepower 1984 Honda Civic Si.Honda, on the eve of the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show, introduced the Si version of the tenth-generation Civic in prototype coupe form. Honda plans to bring the Si to market as a 2017 model next year with both sedan and coupe bodystyles.Expect very few changes for the coupe when this “prototype” becomes a production car next year. In Honda vernacular, “prototype” is as close to production as a production car can be without actually being the production car.Details are relatively scarce. Honda says the new Civic Si will feature adaptive suspension and active steering for the first time in a Civic. There’ll be a limited-slip differential and, if the prototype’s Honda Factory Performance additions make it to production, 19-inch wheels with 235/35Y rubber.The 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder introduced as an optional upgrade in the sedan and coupe — and as standard equipment … [Read more...] about 2017 Honda Civic Si Coupe Revealed – 1.5T Upgraded For Si Duty, Coupe And Sedan Bodystyles
Ace of Base: 2016 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8
Sometimes a manufacturer churns out a base trim that — all things considered — might just be the primo choice for that particular model. Here’s an example. No one talks about this car anymore. When it was introduced a scant seven model years ago, many noises were made about Hyundai’s newfound ability to compete with the Camaro, Mustang, and G37 of the day. Since then, marketeers at Hyundai carved Genesis into its own brand, leaving the Hyundai-badged Genesis Coupe an outlier on the Korean automaker’s showroom floor. Headed for the chopping block at the end of this year, dealers are likely eager to shift these two-door coupes off their lot and out of their floorplan. That’s great news for bargain hunters seeking performance. Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe bangs out a not insignificant 348 horsepower from its 3.8-liter direct-injected V6, all of which is shuttled to the rear wheels. Buff books report a 0-60 mph time in the low five seconds. … [Read more...] about Ace of Base: 2016 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8
Digestible Collectible: 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe
While I certainly love roadsters, there is something special about the coupes derived from those roadsters. The MGB GT was a stunning Pininfarina tiptop riff on the classic MGB Tourer, and the BMW M Coupe was a flared Z3 styled like a ‘roided Reebok Pump. Both of them were iconic in their own way.Considering how few small convertibles are actually sold, it’s surprising that General Motors decided to enter the market a mere 15 years after the Miata, and ten after the BMW Z3.Well, perhaps not that surprising, considering GM launched the Kappa platform on not one, but two dying brands.Somehow, the Wilmington, Delaware plant churned out the Solstice and Saturn Sky twins for five years, including about 1,200 of these incredibly rare 2009 Pontiac Solstice coupes, even though they ended up losing nearly $10,000 per car sold toward the end in the bad-old days of Government Motors. It’s a shame, as these seem to be at least holding value, if not appreciating as a … [Read more...] about Digestible Collectible: 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe
Ace of Base, Reader Suggestion: 2017 Jaguar F-Type Coupe
Sometimes a manufacturer churns out a base trim that — all things considered — might just be the primo choice for that particular model. Here’s an example. The Jaguar F-Type has been around since 2013 creating leagues of bug-eyed gearheads whose jaws invariably hit the ground when they finally see one in person. It’s one of those rare cars that looks a gazillion times better in the metal than on paper. The slinky Coupe version showed up in dealers a year later, with Jaguar periodically adjusting trim levels and feature content. An alert reader (thanks for writing in!) hinted we should use the F-Type for this series, and I was buoyed by the suggestion. Why? It’s well-known I tend to choose the largest engine and loudest colour available when spending my own hard-earned dollars on a vehicle. Yet, the base V6 F-Type appears to make a compelling case for itself. Does one need to pop for the F-Type’s optional bellowing V8? Let’s find … [Read more...] about Ace of Base, Reader Suggestion: 2017 Jaguar F-Type Coupe
VW Teases Upcoming Four-door ‘Coupe’, But We Already Know What it Will Look Like
Volkswagen has only revealed one entirely new model since the emissions scandal began, and with CC sales tanking hard, now seems a good time to start on a second.Planned to be revealed in full at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, VW is teasing the public with some specs on its upcoming range-topper. Following Volkswagen’s recent tradition of giving new models terrible names, the CC replacement is called the Arteon. The automaker says that the name is a portmanteau of the words “art” and “eon.” The former refers to the car’s sleek look and the latter, according to VW, denotes the premium nature of the vehicle — even though that isn’t what eon/aeon means.The sweeping roofline means that Volkswagen will likely consider this a four-door “sports coupe.” While irksome to North Americans, it is at least more deserving of the title than the CC and its almost three-box styling. Of course, this all depends on VW’s … [Read more...] about VW Teases Upcoming Four-door ‘Coupe’, But We Already Know What it Will Look Like
Junkyard Find: 1979 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Coupe
The greatest Oldsmobile song of all time is Public Enemy’s 1987 masterpiece, “You’re Gonna Get Yours” (from all the many great Oldsmobile songs out there), but just what kind of Olds 98 was it that Chuck D used to get all those suckers to the side? I say it was the 1977-1984 tenth-generation 98, and here’s an example of a luxurious ’79 Regency Coupe, complete with landau roof and plenty of fake wood trim inside.The Ninety-Eight was downsized by 800 pounds in 1977, along with its Cadillac de Ville and Buick Electra brethren, and the depiction of the unstoppable Ninety-Eight in “You’re Gonna Get Yours” gives the impression that it must be the monstrous 1971-1976 version. However, if you look at the cover of the 12″ single release for “Rebel Without a Pause” and “Miuzi Weighs a Ton” (released on the same album as “You’re Gonna Get Yours”), you will see two 1977-1984 Olds Ninety-Eights … [Read more...] about Junkyard Find: 1979 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency Coupe